Tamara (2016)
Directed by Alexandre Castagnetti

Film Review

After making a promising directing debut with his amiable rom-com Amour et turbulences (2003), Alexandre Castagnetti gravitated to the realm of fantasy with his family-friendly offering Le Grimoire d'Arkandias (2014).  Castagnetti stays with the younger market for his third feature, Tamara, a lively teen comedy adapted from a series of popular comic books by Zidrou and Darasse (respectively the creators of L'Élève Ducobu and Le Gang Mazda).  Positively stuffed with clichés and second-hand humour, and with an annoying tendency to slip into soppiness of the most aggravating kind, there is little in this lightweight film that would make it appeal to an adult audience.

Recently (around the mid-2010s), there has been a spate of French films of varying quality preoccupied with the pangs of adolescence (Juillet août (2016) and Jamais contente (2017) deal with the subject more authentically) - so this fairly insipid variation on the same theme, dressed up as a not very convincing feel-good movie, is unlikely to add much to what has already been expressed by more capable screenwriters and directors.  To a degree, Castagnetti was able to redeem himself with his next film - a far more inspired and wackier kind of teen movie, La Colle (2017).

On a more positive note, Tamara boasts a strong central performance from Héloïse Martin, who is captivating in her first screen role, with some impressive support from Sylvie Testud, Cyril Guei and Oulaya Amamra.  It's worth noting that a few months before this film's original release in France, Amamra became an overnight star, winning considerable acclaim for her leading role in Houda Benyamina's Divines, a much more involving depiction of adolescent turmoil.

Film Synopsis

Tamara is a 15-year-old girl who is just a little too conscious of the fact that she is carrying a few kilos too many.  Her rotundity makes her the object of her classmates' cruel humour so she decides to get her own back.  To that end, she has a bet with her best friend that she can get a date with the next boy that comes past her.  Luckily for her, her intended victim is Diego, the most good-looking and desirable boy in the school.  Tamara soon puts into action her plan of seduction, willing to use every means at her disposal to ensure a successful outcome.  But life at home has taken a difficult turn now that Tamara's mother has found herself a new man friend.  All's fair in love and war - especially when there's personal honour at stake...